Potato-planting machine.



Patented Sept. ll, I900.

J. RYAN.

POTATO PLANTING MACHINE.

(Application filed July 11. 1900-) (No Model.)

PETEFK ca, moToLnHo UNITED STA-T S- PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN RYAN, OF WANDA, ILLINOIS.

POTATO-PLANTING MACHIN E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 657,747, dated September 11, 1900. Application fina'm 11.1900. seriallto. 23.24%. (No model.)

,tac hed to the lower end of the chute 11 and To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J OHN RYAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Wanda, in the county of Madison and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Potato-Planting Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, andexact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to a machine forservice in planting potatoes in rows by the use of a check-wire, the machine being so constructed that it cuts' its own furrow and automatically drops the potato sets in the proper locations.

The invention consists in features of novelty hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claims. .1

Figure I is a top or plan view of my machine. taken on line II II, Fig. I. Fig. IIIis a view in rear elevation of the dropping mechanism. Fig. IV is a view, partlyin rear elevation and partly in vertical section, of a modified form of dropping mechanism used in drilling potato sets into the ground. Fig. V is a'vertica l-sectional view taken on line V V, Fig. IV.

In constructing my machine I utilize ground-wheels and runner-gear frame ofsimi lar description to those of corn-planting machines, and where desired my improvement may be applied to the running-gear ofan ordinary corn-planter on the removal of the planting apparatus.

1 designates the ground-wheels, connected by an axle 2, and 3 is a running-gear frame carried by said axle.

4: is a seat carried by the frame 3.

5 designates a cross-rod mounted in the frame 3 and having connected thereto the forwardly-extending links 6.

7 designates the side bars of a frame, connected by a front cross-bar 8 and a rear crossbar 9. The rear cross-bar 9 receives the pivotal connection of the links 6, and the front cross-bar 8 receives the attachment of the draft-tongue 1O.

11 designates a chute secured to the rear cross-bar 9 and extending downwardly therefrom.

12 designates a runner or f urrow-opener at- Fig. II is a vertical sectional view 1 extending forwardly to the front crossbar 8, to which it is suitably fixed. t

13 designates a table adapted to hold the potato sets to be planted, the table being mounted upon the upper end of the chute 11 and a forward support 14, carried by the front cross-bar 8 of the planter-frame. The for- Iward end of the table 13 is arranged at a greater elevation than the rear end, (see Fig.

IL) so that the table is inclined rearwardly in order that the potato sets may; gradually work downwardly upon the table as the planter is conveyed over the ground. The rear end of the table tapers inwardly in order that the potato sets will be conveyed to a central location in front of the seat 4., upon which the driver of the machine rides andwhere he is in convenient position to reach the rear end of the table.

15 designates a slide provided with an ap- The slide 15 is adapted to Treceive the potato sets, and they are deposited from such slide into the chute 1 1 through jthe aperture 16 on the forward throw of the ,slide in the operation of the parts hereinafter described.

19 designatesa rocking rod journaled in hangers 22, carried by the frame side bars 7,

the said rocking rod being provided with an extension 20, containing a notch 21, that receives the check-wire 23 and is adapted to be tripped by the buttons 24 each time that the buttons are encountered by the notched extension in the travel of the machine. The check-wire is upheld by a sheave 25, carried by a bracket 26. The rocking rod 19 is connected to the rear-frame cross-bar 9 by a retracting-spring 27, that returns the rocking rod each time that the rod is tripped by a button of the check-wire.

28 designates a rocker carried by the rocking rod 19. This rocker is provided with a lower curved arm 29 and an upper curved arm 30, both of which are so positioned upon the rocking rod as to be capable of entering the chute 11. The upper arm 30 carries a finger 31, that passes loosely through the slide 15.

In the operation of the machine the buttons upon the check-wire 23 come in contact with the notchedegitension 2.0 of Bit mi king rod 19 and trip'said rocking 110d. ,As the v rocking rod is moved the rocker 28 is carried therewith and the upper arm 30 of the rocker is thrown into the chute 11,while the lower arm 29 is thrown outwardly, as seen by dotted lines inFig. II. As the rocker is moved in the manner stated, the finger 31 is moved with the arm 30 and carries therewith the slide 15, said slide being moved inwardly'until the aperture 16 occupies a position immediately above e p -upper end f the huts 1 Each time that the slide assumes its retracted position, as seen in Fig. II, the man who feeds the potatoes places a potato set on the slide and as the slide is moved inwardly in the manner explained the potato set falls through the aperture 16 into the chute 11 and onto the inw'ardlythrown arm of the rocker 28. As the check-wire button slips past the notched extension of the rocking rod, the spring '27 returns said IQd to its normal position, and the slide 15 is retracted ready for the deposit of another potato-set. thereon. As the rocking rod returns under the action of the spring, the upper arm 30 is thrown outwardly and the lower arm 29 is moved inwardly, so that the potato set received by the upper arm isthrown therefrom and, falling on the chute 11, drops upon the lower arm 29, where it is held until the rocker is again moved by the next check-wire button, at which time it is deposited into the ground from the "rocker-arm, while the next set is being delivered through the slide 15 onto the upper rocker-arm 30*. It will therefore be seen that the potato sets are accurately deposited in theground at the same intervals as the distance between the checkwire buttons, and that they are therefore planted uniformly. a

In some instances it is desirable to drill potatoes into the ground, and to provide for such dispensed with and the dropping-wheel 32 is placed in the upper end of the chute 11, be-

ing mounted on a shaft 33, provided with a sprocket-wheel 34. The sprocket-wheel 34 receives an endless chain 35, (indicated by dotted linesin L) that leads to and around a sprocket-wheel 36 on the axle .3 ofthe planter. As the planter is conveyed over the grennd. the shaft v33 is revolved by its connection with the planter-axle and the droppingwheel 32 is rotated, during which time the potato sets interlaced on the wheel as rap as needed and fall from the wheel in uniform manner through the chute to the ground.

I claim as my in \'ention 1. In a potato=planter, the combination of a table, a runner, a chute arranged beneath said table, an apertured slide arranged above said chute, a rocker arranged beneath said slide, and having arms adapted to enter said chute, and means for operating said rocker and slide, sobstantiallyas described.

' 2. In a potato-planter, the combination of a table, a chute arranged beneath said table, a runner, an apertured slide arranged above said hute, a rocking rod adapted to receive the engagement of a check-wire, a rocker having arms adapted to enter said chute, and a finger carried by said rocker and arranged in engagement with said slide, substantially as described.

3. In a potato-planter, the combination of a table, a chute arranged beneath said table,

a runner, an apertured slide arranged above said chute, a rocking rod adapted to receive a the cngage mentof a check-wire, a spring for retracting said rod, a rocker provided with upper and lower curved arms adapted to alternately entersaid chute, and a finger carried by said rocker and having engagement with said slide, substantially as described.

JOHN RYAN.

In presence of J. H. SANNER, L. H. BUoKLEY. 

